today Flowers: The flowers on the altar are given to the Glory of God by Jean Staley in loving memory of Flo Kes. Lay Reader: Dick Adams Come Are Ushers:as You Paul and Diane Selnau, Howard Stewart, and Omer Yalincak Greeters: Side: Gerry Berggren Keeping What Tower: Yvonne Hill Is Necessar 01/11/2015 Worship Attendance: y, 8:00 – 18; 9:00 – 78; 10:30 – 131; Total = 227 Leaving the R Church School Attendance: 49 t Sc Our Pastors – Woody Eddins and Peter Preiser Keeping What Is N Rest Behind Worship Simsbury United Methodist Church “Listening for God’s Difficult Messages” Organist & Adult Music – Yves Venne Children/Youth/Contemporary Music – Dorothy Cowles A Stephen Ministry Church “We need to find God, but God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Mother Teresa 10:30 a.m. Jan 18, 2015 01.18.15 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Worship Service – 10:30 a.m. Welcome Prelude | A tribute to early African American music with Yves at the piano Message | “Listening for God’s Difficult Messages” Pastor Woody Eddins ◊Call to Worship Leader: Listen to God speak in the silence of your being, be aware of God’s voice as you journey to your soul. People: How does God speak, and when should we listen? How can we recognize the voice of God with so many competing voices? Leader: Be still and know God. Wait on God to touch your life with healing and hope, with joy and peace. People: We need to experience these gifts in our lives; we need to know God as one who frees us from the anxiety of living. Leader: God is light, in God there is no darkness. God is love and nothing in all creation is beyond redemption. People: Speak, O God, for your servants are listening. ◊Hymn of Response | I’ve Got Peace Like a River #2145 (Faith We Sing Hymnal) Pastoral Prayer The Lord’s Prayer | Blue hymnal #895 Offertory Music | “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” an African American traditional Chancel Choir ◊Presentation of Gifts/Doxology #94 Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! ◊Opening Hymn | Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing #400 ◊Opening Prayer | (unison) All knowing God, we confess that we act at times as if you did not exist. Our lives are inundated by the narrowness of our existence. We define ourselves by what we do and by what we refuse to do. We see the evil, but we blame others and forget that we participate by our silence. Restore our life and awaken our desire to give and to forgive. Teach us again to dance with the saints the dance of faith, of hope, and of justice, and of love. Amen. A Time for Children ◊Prayer of Dedication ◊Closing Hymn | We Shall Overcome #533 ◊Benediction ◊Benediction Response | Go In Peace Go in peace and the peace of God be with you this day; Go in peace and the peace of God be with you alway. Celebrate and share the joy, celebrate new life. Go in peace and the peace of God be with you alway. First Lesson | 1 Samuel 3: 1-20 ◊Postlude | In remembrance of MLK with Yves at the piano (improvisation) Psalter | Psalm 139, Blue hymnal page #854 ◊ please stand as you are able Second Lesson | John 1: 43-51